Field of the Invention
This application relates to a point-of-sale. Particularly, this application relates to receiving and processing of voice input at a point-of-sale.
Description of the Related Art
A Point of Sale (POS) is the place where a retail transaction between a customer and a merchant is completed. At the POS, traditionally, a clerk uses a cash register, or a comparable POS device, to allow the customer to make a payment to the merchant in exchange for goods and/or services. At the POS, the clerk uses such devices to, for example, calculate the amount owed by the customer for the goods and/or services in question. The merchant also will provide options as to the form of payment used by the customer to pay for the goods and/or services. Once the payment is completed, a receipt for the transaction is issued. POS devices can provide this register functionality, as well as additional item, inventory, or customer functionality, such as the ability to track and record customer orders, manage inventory, and so on.
Mobile POS (MPOS) devices, which are un-tethered from the cashier lanes, are useful for retailers who desire more personalized customer interaction, such as with regard to lifestyle and fashion brands, or who need to be able to reduce long customer wait times, that can occur in various situations, such as during peak hours or holidays. These MPOS devices provide fast scanning of items and can take most forms of payment. Under normal circumstances, they work quickly and efficiently. However, when item bar codes are difficult to scan, or when a transaction requires special processing (e.g., when attempting to apply an employee discount), the operator needs to do more than simply scan or press a couple of buttons. Various sales processes can be invoked by the MPOS devices to guide the clerk through a series of steps, such as by displaying a series of screens and menu options for the clerk to complete. On many mobile devices that have a touch screen, or even a dedicated hardware keyboard, using the MPOS device's manual controls to enter lengthy information or navigating through a chain of screens can become tedious, slow, and error prone.